


You never said you needed me loud enough to stop the noise

by SonataForMyOverdosedLover



Category: Borderlands
Genre: F/M, and anger management, trust issue
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-11-24
Updated: 2016-02-24
Packaged: 2018-05-03 06:14:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 19,049
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5279870
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SonataForMyOverdosedLover/pseuds/SonataForMyOverdosedLover
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>They didn't part on the best of terms. In the end, it was not what the Stranger wanted from them that was important. It was all about the words they never had the courage to tell each other.And once they were left out in the open, it was about the words they always wanted to hear.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The End

**Author's Note:**

> And I have finally pushed myself to contribute to the ship! This work will be split in two. The first part takes place as they are still caught by the Stranger, forced to tell the last events of their stories. A series of 'in-between moments' where Fiona and Rhys are left to confront each other's version of the truth. First chapter is focusing on Rhys.
> 
> It's a bit heavy because I can't, for the life of me, write something light-hearted. So... sorry? Hope you'll enjoy!

There was sand in his shoes. For all it matter at this point there was sand in his everything; sand and dirt. But it didn’t matter, did it? Not any longer at least. He was tired. His body was worn out and in all honesty his mind was drained. His lips were dry and he was in desperate need for some water. At least it was done. If it did any good, he told his side of the story. Well... most of it.

He looked at the man holding the gun, pointed down, almost forgotten. That Conference Call. That blasted Conference Call. He would have been happy not to see that thing ever again. And yet, there it was, in the hands of their captor. They all sat in silence and he hated it. No more questions from the stranger, and no more acid sarcasm from the woman seated across from him. He dragged the heel of his shoe on the metallic ground, feeling the grains of sand grind under, and he let a low sigh that almost ended in a whistle.

Rhys shifted in his restrains and looked up at the starry sky, wondering what was going through their heads now that his truth was out. ‘The poor idiot who trusted a murderous psychopath; got what was coming for him’. Heh, where was the lie in that? Served him right. He couldn’t blame them for thinking that. It didn't mean that he had to be happy about it. Jack had been wrong about so many things. He had also been right about many other things. Never meet your heroes. The time he spent ever since, trying to make a difference by rebuilding something new from his own mistakes, almost made him believe he had managed to step away from the wrecks of his life and outlive the damage that Jack had inflicted. However, stirring through those memories proved him wrong. He had put a distance between him and everything from his past life. But some wounds were still evidently opened.

He didn't care if he was bluntly staring back at the woman. Unfortunately, he had nothing left to hide. He had buried Jack. And yet even after that, he had been constantly trying to prove him wrong; even in his absence. For most of the part he had been successful. But it made his blood boil that the thing that mattered most to him...he could not win. Jack had to be right about that as well. Betrayal never stops from hurting.

His jaw clenched and words escaped him before he could stop his actions.

“Did you for one second consider that maybe things weren’t what they seemed, or was it really that easy for you to turn your back and leave me behind once you had the last piece for Gortys?”

He saw her eyes widen for a split of a second, not prepared for the attack, but whatever flicker of guilt he thought he managed to grasp, it disappeared too soon, to be replaced by a sharp glare.

“No, it was really that easy. Sorry I didn't stick around to celebrate your new position. I was a bit too busy trying to make sure my sister and Gortys were safe from you and your stupid plan.”

“Oh, for - there was no plan!” The lack of hesitation in her voice made him burn with an energy he didn't know he still possessed. “You're a lot of things, Fiona, but you are not stupid. I dare you to say it to my face that when things went out of control and people started to die you thought that it was my doing.”

“Well, as it turned out, it was your doing. If you would have turned yourself to Jack maybe none of those people would have died.”

It hurt. She had a way with words and she should be proud. She didn't need any guns or knives to hurt people. Hearing her admit that she cared little of what could have happened if Jack had caught him was a painful realization. But there was something else in her words and when he shook his head he knew she realized her mistake. It was all that he wanted to find out. She had known that he had been in danger and yet she still had left him behind. He remembered the files he had managed to hack on Jack and the events on Elpis. The irony of it all was really consuming him. He was left to die on the moon by those that helped him, Moxxi included. He could not prove Jack wrong on this one and it was suffocating him. To think that he was risking his life trying to stop the madman, while his friends were fleeing away. The image of the van leaving Helios played in the back of his mind and he felt a knot in his throat.

There was silence again and this time he was grateful for it.

“Well?”

They both looked up at the stranger. When she realized that the question was addressed to her, Fiona narrowed hey eyes.

“Well what?”

“Answer his question.”

She frowned. “I already did.”

“Did you think that it was his doing? That he played you to get all that power?”

Rhys rolled his eyes. “Some power.”

“I was talking to her.”

“What's the difference? We had to get out of there before we all died.”

“So you left, just like that.” It was a statement more than a question.

“Yes. I left. Just like that!' She flared up with annoyance and for the life of him, he could not understand why she was so pissed. It was clear that in her eyes he was the guilty one.

“I want the truth.”

“I AM telling the truth! What's your point?”

“Were you in the caravan?”

And as if the air was knocked out of her chest, her anger vanished and her expression softened. She looked away, at noting in particular.

“What does it matter? I left Helios, didn't I?”

Rhys barely heard her. He frowned and his back tensed as the conversation continued.

“Where you in the caravan?”

She took her time and bit the inside of her cheek, anger slowly building again, up to her face.

“No.”

That moment his heart skipped a beat and the fact that such a small confession seemed to have an effect on him, worried Rhys. All this time he had been teaching himself how to deal with betrayal but he was not sure he was ready to have his hopes toyed with.

He saw her shift uncomfortably and shake her head. 

“Look, it’s not like I didn’t want to be there. Things went out of hand and the caravan departed without me.”

“Is that so?”

“Wha-?” she glared up at the man. “Yeah, it’s so! Facts are facts, what difference does it make how and why it ended the way it did? It’s not like it changes anything!” 

“I want to understand.” He made a pause. “Both of you.” And then turned back to her. “Why didn’t you leave with the rest?”

“Things happened too fast! August tried to help - he got shot. Sasha took him inside while I covered for them. One moment I was shooting and the next one I saw the ship leaving.”

“Didn’t you say that Loader Bot was with you? Couldn’t he cover for you guys while you made a run for it?”

“He didn’t have super- powers, did he? Also the part where he was missing his legs? He did what he could.” 

“He could have still taken care of Kroger, if you asked him to. Why didn’t you? The way I see it, you could have escaped with your sister.”

“I don’t know, ok? Just- stop with these stupid questions. I don’t know why I didn’t make a run for it. It doesn’t matter!”

Her raised voice was followed by silence. 

He couldn’t say, given his mask, but he had a feeling that the stranger was pinning him down with a stare. He wondered – what was he seeing on his face? Was he so easy to read?

“It does matter. From how you told your story so far it seems that something was holding you back.” 

The woman rolled her eyes. 

“Not this crap again.” 

Rhys had to wonder if her habit was at this point just a defensive mechanism. 

“You said you encountered Handsome Jack on your way to the hangar?”

“Yeah, what about it?”

“He asked you to sell Rhys out.”

“I also had no idea where he was. From all that mess, Rhys was – out of reach. He wasn’t responding.”

“Oh, cause you clearly reached out to me.”

“I tried, you moron! But the communication device was dead. How the hell was I supposed to know that Jack had fried it or something? I had no idea that he had been in your head **to start with.** ”

He frowned. His communication device hadn't been down. He had been able to reach out to LB after he shut down the generator. Unless… unless Jack had been blocking her out all that time. He looked at her and took in the glare she was throwing his way. He should probably feel mad but instead, his heart was beating a little faster than it should have. It felt as if he could, for the first time, pick up that lost battle with Jack. 

But the man got his attention.“And what did you tell him?”

At that a smug grin found its way to her lips. 

“That he can kiss my ass.” She leaned back with satisfaction. “And then I proceeded to laugh in his face because … well, he couldn’t actually.”

He rolled his eyes before he could even stop the habit.

“Mature.”

She chose to ignore him. “I don’t know why Jack was under the impression that I had any idea of what was happening with Rhys. At that point I had no choice but to believe Sasha. She didn’t trust them from the beginning. I am always too stubborn and follow my instincts. And half of the times I end up into an even bigger mess because of them.” She stopped and sunk in her place, her eyes on the tip of her dusted boots. “I should have gone for the van without second thoughts.” 

She was right. It didn’t change anything in the end. But… suddenly, being left behind on Helios, started to hurt less. Just a little bit. 

“What did you do next?”

“I ran for the escape po-” she stopped and glanced at the man from under her eyelids. “No. Loader Bot led me to the escape pods.”

“You don’t sound like you’re convinced of your actions.”

“Are you picking at my words, now? Isn’t this what you wanted?”

“Fair enough.”

She waited for a moment to see if he had something else to add. 

“Everything was in complete chaos. Eventually we found an empty pod. I… I needed to make sure Sasha was fine. She was the only certain thing I had left at that point and she was in danger. I wasn’t going to give up on her.” 

It was time for him to look away. He could not blame her anymore. Sasha was family. He was just a guy that lied to her several times. He never said a word. In all fairness, he never told her enough and in the end he paid the price. But … he needed to sleep on it. He had been left behind; but it had been his own fault. That much, he understood now. 

His thoughts were interrupted by the sound of an ECHO device. The man got up on his feet and unstrapped the ECHO from his belt. He stepped down the set of stairs and before he could distance himself from them, he turned around.

“Don’t try to do anything stupid.”

“I think you’re asking too much from Hyperion over there.”

“It’s not. Hyperion. anymore.” He hissed but knew by now she was doing it on purpose. 

The stranger didn’t even bother to offer an answer as he went to talk to his mysterious contact. 

He followed him and activated his ECHO eye but to no end. He was too out of range to hack the device. 

“Whom do you think he’s talking to?”

When he received no answer he looked back at Fiona. She was glaring at him. What now? Couldn’t she just give it a rest?

“Why didn’t you say anything, you corporate piece of shit?”

Not that again. He sighed, trying to keep his temper. 

“Well now you know. Didn’t you just say ‘what does it matter? It doesn’t change anything’ moments ago?”

“But **this** would have changed things, Rhys! You had a bloody murderer in your head and you kept it a secret! You put us all in danger, do you even realize that?”

“ **That** is precisely why I didn’t say anything! You would have freaked out! As you are clearly doing now!”

“Of course I am freaking out! You let him lead all of us into a trap! Sasha could have died! You do know I would have never forgiven you if that happened, right?”

“What, you forgive me now?”

“Don’t play smart-ass with me! You believed him like an idiot! If I had known, I would have slapped some sense into you. If you could have just trusted me, I wouldn’t have lef-” she stopped and there it was again: that stupid thing where his heart started to beat faster. “You wanted to walk in his shoes so badly!”

“Of course I wanted to! All my life I’ve been fighting my way through that shit-hole of a system, making my way up. Everything I ever did, every night and day I spent working there, every ass I had to kiss and every piece of dignity I had to give up to in front of some asshole, was to get on top of that ladder. And he offered that! I was willing to believe him. For **once** in my life it felt as if everything I have done was worth it. So blame me for that if it makes you feel better.”

He let the argument die and was happy that she didn’t seem willing to continue it either. God, how he hated her that moment! He hated her all these years because each time he thought of her and Sasha, his heart stung. In all his life he had few friends. He had tried to look for Vaughn once he was able to… function again but there was no trace of him, so he feared the worst. Yvette was even more out of the question. He didn’t even know if she survived the crash. Then there were the two Pandora swindlers. Some company he kept as ‘friends’. And in the end, each and every one of them had their faults. Vaughn had a deal going with Vasquez behind his back. Yvette thought that she should save her skin first and maybe give them a less painful death. And Fiona… why the heck did it hurt the most? They had known each-other for a short time. They clearly didn’t like each other. And yet, the moment the ship left, it was her name that escaped his lips. All this time he was slowly starting to accept that Jack was right; everyone ends up betraying you, no matter how much you give.

But now… now he hated her for different reasons. In spite of her sarcasm and her biting remarks… there she was again, her words against Jack’s. He felt like he was back in the Atlas factory. Only that this time he would choose her without even blinking. And not knowing why frustrated him so much. 

“You were a fool.”

And there she went again. Leave it to Fiona to be a stubborn head. But for the first time she sounded as tired as he felt. 

“I know. There is no need to keep rubbing it in my face…. I know.”

He let his eyes roam over their captor. He seemed caught in whatever conversation he had. Rhys felt the balance in his mind shift slowly. There were things he never told to the woman across from him and he regretted each word he did not share. The man that got them all tied up like presents for a slaughterhouse – he had no idea what he was getting out of all of this. From the day he saw Fiona again he wanted nothing else but to get up and run away as far as he could. He was healing, or so he thought. Reliving those memories felt like picking at old wounds. But now, at the very end of their story… something changed. For once, things looked brighter from his end. If he were to start now to tell her things he stopped himself from saying so many times before… would it be too late?

“I… I wanted to tell you, you know… about Jack.”

Her answer didn’t come immediately.

“Pfff, stop lying! If you truly did, you would have told us! We spent weeks together; almost months! What stopped you? We even asked you, remember?” he felt her anger rise again. “Sasha and I; right before leaving for Helios! We practically begged you! Sure, we were suspicious when suddenly you came up with all that information, but we asked you because we were actually concerned about you! What big idiots we were. We gave you the chance and you decided to lie to us! So don’t come selling me that crap!”

“I –” How could she manage to throw his best intentions out the window by just opening her mouth? “Look – that moment I couldn’t bring myself to say it. Sasha – she… I cared about her. Her friendship meant a lot to me. I got scared, alright? I got scared that if she knew she would just… lose her trust in me.”

“Can you blame her?”

“Can you just- stop talking and listen for a moment? You’re just like Jack! All you do is talk and you can’t for a second consider that maybe, just maybe you are off your tracks by miles!”

“Did you just seriously compare me to that blood-crazed psychopath?”

“Fiona, just. SHUT. UP.”

He didn’t mean it. He didn’t mean to yell at her but he was all tied up, frustrated, famished and tired. He could not take it anymore and she was going to hear him out even if she didn’t want to. She stared at him in shock but at least no more insults were leaving her mouth.

“When I said I wanted to tell you I didn’t mean that I wanted to share it with the group. I meant _you_! I wanted to… I wanted to tell just _you_ , Fiona. I kept Jack a secret even from Vaughn, for fuck’s sake and he was my oldest friend. I just… at times... I thought … you’d understand. You looked more head-leveled than anyone around there and I felt that I was losing my mind with Jack.” He swept his forehead against his knee and he told himself it was just to get rid of the dust, and not that he was too much of a coward to look at her while he was admitting all of this. “I… as it turned out… couldn’t stand my ground against him. I wasn’t expecting you to keep trusting me after finding out but… at least… with everything that was happening, you seemed capable of handling him… if that makes sense.”

She said nothing and he was not ready to look at her yet. He turned his head and glanced at the man. The ECHO device was turned off; it meant that the conversation was over.

“Then why didn’t you? Why didn’t you say anything?” 

He smiled, predicting her reaction to his answer. 

“I didn’t have the chance.”

“Again with that! Rhys, we weren’t on the road for just a couple of days.”

At that he looked at her. 

“Tell me one time when it was just the two of us long enough for me to share this sort of thing with you.”

The woman opened her mouth but no answer came out. He was not surprised. He watched her looking for her words but he knew she would come up with nothing. Because they never did spend enough time just the two of them. Excepting the times they had to run for their lives, fight over each-other’s mistakes or having to come up with ideas on how to keep everyone safe. Other than that, they were never alone. Not even during the occasional moments when they used to play cards while Sasha and Vaughn were out looking for supplies. Loader Bot and Gortys were with them and… it felt weird to just blurt it out in the middle of a game. 

“You could have… pulled me aside … or something?”

“Could I? Most of the time you were away with Athena, anyway, doing whatever training you were doing out there. And waking you up in the middle of the night to tell you ‘hey so, don’t freak out but remember Handsome Jack? The tyrant of Pandora? Yeah, he’s staring at you while you sleep’.”

“He was what?!” Her eyes opened wide in a split of a second.

“Never-mind. Forget I said that. It was already creepy without you knowing that.”

“Do you think that’s funny?”

“No, it’s not funny. Really, Fiona? That’s what you take out of everything I just said?”

He felt the stranger making his way back to them. He let out a sigh he didn’t know he was holding and rested his head against the metal bar behind him.

“In the end… it was better you didn’t know.”

“What do you mean by that?”

He sincerely didn’t want to say that out-loud and he couldn’t find a proper justification of why he did so.

“It’s just… It was all so messed up. I thought about it, you know…” he relaxed his sight in the darkness of the night. “At times it still gives me nightmares…. What happened on Helios; the people that died that day. Then, I ask myself what could have happened if Jack had won. If he would have taken complete control over my body… a lot more people would have died for sure but…out of everyone… if you had known about him… the time he spent in my head I also came to learn a lot about him… you would have been his loose end.” The stranger was getting closer and he was running out of time. He just had to time this right. Say it fast enough to be done with and slow enough not to give her the chance to say anything. He was scared of what she might have to say. “He would have come for you; make it personal. The thought of my own hands around your neck as you draw your last breath… makes my skin crawl.” He swallowed. The man was stepping back on the platform. “So I am glad I didn’t say anything… made me feel a bit better about myself all these years.”

 

*

 

He couldn’t believe the man. He didn’t give them a rest until every last detail was out. How he finally ended Jack, how Gortys was destroyed. Every . single. detail. And he felt sick. He felt empty. Not even Fiona seemed willing to put up her usual fight anymore. They didn’t like it. Facing their own demons left both of them with a bitter taste in their mouths and completely lost. One hell of an adventure they got there. And all of it for nothing. Friends they lost on the way and a long trail of mistakes that made them feel ugly on the inside. 

They watched the man get up after long moments spent in silence. 

“I’ll go look for some water and something to eat.” If he wanted to throw a new warning he probably decided against it. None of them looked like they cared about escaping any longer. He made his way out in the windy canyon and for once Rhys considered closing his eyes. It wouldn’t take him long to fall asleep. His entire body was ready to take a rest. His last part of the story had been the hardest to tell. 

In that numb state he heard movement coming from Fiona. He only opened half an eye to see her struggling to get up on her feet. Once she managed, he opened both eyes with interest. What was going through her mind? He saw her approaching him and suddenly he felt small under her towering figure. 

That’s when she started kicking him out of the blue. 

He tried to protect himself, but all tied up, there was not much he could do.

“Hey, stop that!” As if challenged the amount of kicks in his ribs intensified. 

“You.” *kick* “stupid” *kick* “piece” *kick* “of” *kick* “stuck-up” *kick* “jackass!!!”

“I said, stop. What the hell got into you?” He tried to get up but there was no use, with the storm of merciless hits she was throwing his way. “Did you completely lose your mind? Ow! That really hurts, goddamit! Stop!”

“Why the fuck didn’t you tell me? You pathetic excuse of a –“

He couldn’t take it anymore. He pushed himself up in his right arm and shoved his shoulder in her stomach as powerful as he could, sending her on her butt. 

“What the hell is your problem now, Fiona?” He thought that after his confession she would have the decency of leaving him alone. 

“My problem?” She threw her leg and the hit was even worse than the previous ones. “You are my problem, you asshole.”

“Ow! Stop!” He kicked her back. What was he even doing? “Why are you angry?”

“You are making me angry! Ugh! SO. Friggin’. ANGRY!”

He blocked her kick with his leg and shit, it reached his bone. 

“Why couldn’t you just TRUST ME!” 

This was starting to sound a lot like something else than the usual fits she was throwing at him.

“Do you know how you are making me feel?”

“Angry?” He didn’t know if that was sarcasm or confusion in his question.

“Angry doesn’t cover it, you moron! How was I supposed to know?!” 

Damn, that last kick reached his kidney. 

“It feels like poor anger management to me.” Was all that he could hiss through his teeth. “Are you sure you’re angry at me and not at you? Cause you’re being a bit contradictory right now.”

Then her head came in contact with his nose. That was the last thing he could take before he decided that enough was enough. 

He threw both his feet at her, hitting his back against the ground. He wrestled through her legs, trapping them with his and when he seized the chance, he threw his own legs over her stomach, knocking her down for good and keeping her pinned under half of his weight.

Her hat rolled away, down the stairs.

“Are you done now?!!” 

“Get your uncoordinated varkid legs off me, you asshole!”

“Are you done now?!!” he yelled slowly, as if she had hearing problems. 

When her struggle ceased he thought he had finally won.

They were lying down in complete silence. He focused on her breathing and on the cold metal against his right ear. Still, just to be on the safe side, he kept pressure on her body. 

When he could not hear her breathing anymore he decided that maybe he could get off her, but her voice took him by surprise.

“All this time… it was easier to just hate you than ask myself if there was something I have missed along the way.”

“Well… that makes two of us.” 

“Now, I just feel guilty as fuck for leaving you on that base on your own.” 

“… thanks…” he really meant it.

“Don’t take this the wrong way. It’s still your fault. How was I supposed to trust you when all that I saw was you selling us out to get what you wanted?” 

…and it was too nice to actually last. 

“I just… hate how guilty you make me feel. If I had just... followed my instincts…”

Against all odds he found himself smiling like an idiot at nothing in particular.

“You would have ended in an even bigger mess.”

“Yeah…” he heard her sigh. 

He turned his head at her. When he showed no sign of looking away, she glanced his way and frowned.

“What’s up with that stupid smile on your face, Hyperion?”

So he was right. He did have a stupid smile. 

“It’s Atlas now.” 

“It doesn’t matter.”

“It matters to me.” But in all honesty, he was not talking about her nickname for him or the corporations anymore. Yes, he was responsible for the way things ended. But it changed everything to him; that she had not been in the van; that she had not just turned her back on him. _She won. Jack, you bastard, you hear that? You were wrong about it._ Trusting someone is not a mistake. 

“I was right. Well I am right most of the time.” 

When he didn’t offer an explanation she raised her eyebrow at him. He pretended not to notice the small sting at the edge of his heart and the thought that he had actually missed her patronizing habit. 

“About you being able to handle Jack.” 

Her eyes narrowed. 

“Is there something you haven’t told us?”

His mouth opened in shock, realizing what she was hinting at.

“Oh no! I didn’t mean it like that! That chapter of my life is done and buried!” Well… more like… safety kept away as a memento of how much worse things could have been. 

“I meant… you were right, he was wrong.”

She took a moment before answering.

“Did I hit your head that badly?”

He gave up and let go of a long breath. Couldn’t really blame her for being confused. He didn’t make a lot of sense at the moment. 

“Look … next time you need me … to take care of your virtual or physical bully … or whatever just… use more words.”

He would have picked on her tasteless joke but something else in her sentence flooded his mind. 

“Next time?”

Her crimson lips pushed into a line. 

“That’s what I said, didn’t I?” and she looked away. 

He knew for a fact that, even if his gaze was turned on the stars, the stupid smile was back on his lips. 

That’s how the man found them when he returned. He was towering from above, the Conference Call in one hand and Fiona’s hat in the other. 

“What happened to you two?”

They must have looked like two idiots.

“We umm… had an argument to settle.”

The stranger shook his head and reached out for Fiona’s straps to pull her up. Rhys helped himself in a sitting position and shook his head trying to get some of the sand out of his hair. 

“She seemed to have made a strong point.” He pointed at his bruised nose with the gun. Probably there was some blood as well. 

“What can I say? Hard to deflect that one when she used her head.” 

He knew that even with her back turned, she must have rolled her eyes. She always does. Or… he hoped that’s what she did. As he found his place back against the railings he looked from the hat in the man’s hand, to Fiona. Her hair had grown a bit. Just a bit. She probably still liked to keep it short. 

She freed herself from his grip and tried to sit back on her own. 

They had been together for a couple of days now, but it felt as if he was actually looking at her for the first time in such a long time. The fact that he took in all those small details about her unsettled him, but he was too tired to deal with that now.

He was fine like this, really. Because there were no more doubts left; nothing left to prove to Jack. For the first time, he couldn’t feel his ghost linger anymore. It was finally quiet in his mind. After such a long time he felt that his mind was truly his own again.


	2. The Beginning (part I)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "You've gotta break it down to build it back up."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Second part is focusing on Fiona. One year after opening the Vault, they meet again. 
> 
> Originally I wanted this work to have only two chapters. But the content for the second part is just too big for one entry. So I decided to split it in 3. Also, by reading this you're probably hopping into the angst train. You've been warned. So... enjoy? 
> 
> Any feedback or opinions are more than welcome! Cheers!

She bit her lip and pretended her heart wasn't beating madly in her chest. She looked down at the worn-out leather of her boots and avoided the glances of the few people she encountered down the corridors of the facility.

Fiona felt relieved when she reached the elevator. All that she needed to do was to wait for the moment when the chrome doors could swallow her. But it took an eternity for the machine to reach her. She heard whispers from behind her and she rolled her eyes, willing to bet that they wouldn’t dare to say anything to her face. 

_Corporate cowards._

She made the mistake of lifting her eyes and catch her image reflected in the glass wall to her right.

Her insides turned. _She did not belong there._ She still had time to turn around and run as far as she could from this place but reason thankfully won over instincts and she was left staring at her reflection: _Pandoran scum_ at its finest and she was feeling as if she was about to be suffocated by the methodical cleanliness of the place. It was not grand... not yet. But it was only going to grow ... _and leave her behind_. Her dusted clothes, her bullets pierced coat, her worn-out hat; her sunbathed skin and her wind chapped lips; her gnawed nails and her second handed hopes and dreams. She did not belong there. Nobody stopped her at the entrance when she identified herself but she was sticking out like a sore thumb in that well planned, disciplined place.

Somewhere in the back of her head Fiona acknowledged the sound of the elevator stopping, but the doors opened a second too late as her eyes focused on one of the scientists working in the laboratory behind the glass. White pupils caught hers and the man glared her way. She frowned. She could not blame the old Atlas scientist for holding a grudge against her. She had done nothing to stop Athena from trying to kill him. But that didn't change the fact that the bastard had sold one of her friends to Vallory to save his skin.

The woman mirrored his displeasure and stepped inside the elevator. She wasn't here to start a fight or cause a scene. The doors close behind her and she felt her body ease for the first time since she had entered the building.

Was he that desperate for manpower to take Cassius in even after Vaughn had been injured because of him? Moments like these were making it easier for Fiona to hate Rhys. _‘Atlas will be different. I will be nothing like Handsome Jack.'_ Ugh... She could not understand it; any of these stupid, empty ambitions. What is the purpose of being a successful prick if you have to make compromises and put profit ahead of your friends? _Brainwashed monkeys_ … That's what all these corporate indoctrinated people were.

 _That's it._ That's all that she needed to remember once the elevator would leave her to her final destination. _She was going to be fine._ She needed to do this. That's what she had always wanted, right? And he had the means to help her so there was no reason for sorrow. _No reason_ ; she repeated to the pain in her chest. There was no reason for anxiety. _No reason_ ; she repeated to the knot in her throat. There was no reason for yearning. _No reason_ ; she repeated to the butterflies in her stomach.

But when the lift stopped and the machine announced the last floor she panicked. She wished there was a way to stop the doors from opening and go back.

What will she say to him? What if he'll want to talk about the vault? What if she'll look up at him only to find a power-crazed mogul? She tried to remember the way he looked that day, when they have emerged from the vault, never to speak about what they have seen. The last time they've met. And she panicked even more because she couldn’t remember; because she had avoided his eyes; because they had agreed to never talk about it while promising to stay in touch; but they never did; because she kept running away; because he reminded her of what had been on the other side; she kept running away because of his stupid words in front of the vault. She kept running from him _because, because, because;_ because she wasn't the real coward; she kept running because he never followed.

She couldn't do this. She was so stupid.

The doors of the elevator started to slide apart and her heart was beating like a hammer. What if she wouldn't like what she will see? What if he has changed in all this time and turned into a bigger, greedy corporate asshole ready to dry Pandora of its last breath? What if she would hate what he has become?  
And ever worse, what if instead -

But the doors opened wildly and her mess of thoughts was greeted by a pair of warm, mismatched eyes, and the stupidest, most welcoming grin a person could wear. Her heart sank at the disarming sight of the man in front of her.

_What if he hadn't changed at all?_

She couldn't do this; was her last clear thought.

"Fiona! I can't believe it! It's really you.”

Her hand found its way to her hip and her head tilted slightly. She felt her entire body entering in automatic pilot mode and a smirk tugging at the corner of her lips.

“I guess that's what I said at the security gate, didn't I? Do you always take a stranger's word for it? How come you're still alive?”

“Yeah well... Who'd be crazy enough to go around using your name? I told them to let you in because I needed to see it with my own eyes.” He made a pause and she frowned at the familiar smug expression. “Plus... there are cameras everywhere. I watched you make your way to my office.”

She narrowed her eyes and was happy that her legs were finally listening to her again so that she could step out of the elevator.

“Creepy.”

She went past him and let her eyes roam around the office.

"Quite the office you got yourself, jackass."

She noticed his shoulders fall and the smile on his lips fade, and with them she felt herself sinking.

“Thanks” came a dry answer, clogged in a disappointed voice.

“How many skags did you have to skin for that leather sofa?”

“None. It's not made of skag leather.”

“Kittens then?”

But the man chose to ignore her teasing.

With both hands on her hips she stopped in the middle of the office, taking in every detail of the enormous room. She could fit half the population of Hollow Point in there. Was his office seriously taking the space of an entire floor? And did everything in there have to be so annoying tech and in perfect order?

“This place looks so pretentious and expensive it makes me vomit in my mouth.” She finally turned to face him but her eyes didn't meet his. “At least you dropped that horrible Hyperion blue and yellow. I can respect that. Surprisingly decent in taste; didn't know you had it in you.”

A low sigh escaped his lips. “Oh I am fine, Fiona. You know, a lot of hard work but I have a really great feeling about this. Thank you for asking! And how have you been? Haven't seen you **in.over.a.year.** "

She stared at him in confusion.

“Well, you are clearly doing just fine judging by the big place you own so I didn't see the point in asking.”

It was his time to watch her in silence. Eventually he shook his head. 

“What was I even expecting, really?”

Her eyes rolled. 

_Her heart stung._

“Where... Have you been all this time?” The trace of concern in his voice was chopping at the little control she had over her legs.

“Oh you know... around.” As she stepped away she couldn’t resist from feeling the leather on one of the fancy armchairs. They felt as comfortable as they looked. “… busy earning.”

“Each time I called Sasha she kept telling me you were not there. That you were running around Pandora with your vault hunter palls.”

She was sure there was a grimace on her face.

"Palls... Is a strong word. I met some. Half of them are ok. The others just give me some bad vibes. After what they did to get to Athena... We're not exactly on good terms.”

“Oh great as always at making friends, I see.”

“Don't look so smug. You’re not exactly on their list of favorite people either. Ex Hyperion becomes the new CEO of a big corporation? They have their eyes on you in case you decide to pull a ‘next Jack’ move on Pandora.”

“Yeah well that doesn’t seem to stop them from filling the pockets of this CEO with money. Only last month an Atlas supply of weapons was requested for the Sanctuary location.”

“In that case see that they don't put a bullet with your label in your head. They don't like you very much. In fact they don't like the two of us.” She already had a bad start with some of them because of their first encounter. The fact that she had occasionally taken his part when Atlas became a topic, hadn't help her case either.

But there was something else that caught her attention and it was unrelated to the vault hunters. Against her better judgment she spun to face him.

“You've been... in contact with my sister?” She bit the inside of her cheek.

“Of course I have. I am. Unlike you; with Sasha, Vaughn, Yvette; Even Janey. Awkward, but I think I even know more about what's going on with August these days than about you. I asked Sasha for your ECHO device line. But I only got statics each time I tried to reach you.”

“Yeah well... I am not using one anymore. Got tired of replacing it after each time it got pierced by bullets or bitten by the Pandoran fauna. I call Sash from time to time from a station or a town when I get the chance.”

“It just... seems weird that I am the one who kept in contact with everyone while you vanished around Pandora. I always thought it would have been the other way around.”

She wished she could answer him but there were no words she could come up with. So instead she shrugged in hopes that she looked dismissive enough.

“I was busy... Athena introduced me to some of her contacts and... I got my hands full for a time.”

“An entire year?”

She sensed the sarcasm in his voice.

“I have literally not seen you since... since the vault.”

Fiona panicked at the idea that he might want to talk about it.

“Well, I am not the one who didn't show up at Athena and Janey's wedding.”

For the first time he avoided her eyes. His hand went at the back of his head and disappeared in his chocolate locks.

“Yeah... I had some issues to take care of. Being kidnapped was not part of the company's development plan... So I got stuck trying to put everything back on tracks.”

Liar. Both of them were such pitiful liars.

Fiona didn’t tell him that. She lied for a living and he was horrible at it. They both knew the truth and she understood why he had locked himself away from all of it. The same reason she had taken Athena's jobs. She needed to be away from everything for a while. Clear her head. Try to make some sense of what they have been through on the other side of the vault. He had done both of them a service by not attending the wedding. If possible they would have avoided each other just to stay away from the subject of the vault. Fiona continued to look around the office but her eyes followed him as he made his way to the desk.

He had not changed one bit. He was the same as the day they saved Gortys. And yet, his shoulders felt heavier and his eyes had hardened.

For once she cursed her ignorant self. She was good with words. But her words were good at confusing people; tricking people. She had no idea how to comfort them; when it came to expressing her own feelings her words were like stones.

“I noticed. Did that include recruiting Cassius to work for you as well?”

His jaw clenched.

“He has a brilliant mind. It would have been a waste not to.”

“You do remember Vaughn got stabbed because of him, right?”

“It was all a misunderstanding. He was just trying to save himself and we haven't been quite helpful either.”

“True. But it was you the one to tell Athena that he was Atlas, to start with.”

“It wasn't me. It was Ja-” He sighed and decided to drop the subject. “It doesn't matter. Things worked out and he's great at what he's doing.”

“Yeah I forgot that's what mattered to you.”

He arched an eyebrow and she was taken aback by his smirk. That was not what she expected. He was supposed to lose his patience and they would start disagreeing and remember how hard was for them to get along. She would then realize that coming here had been a bad idea and leave.

“Fi, did you really come all this way to have a fight?”

She felt her words die in her throat and all she could think of was the way he called out to her.

When she didn't answer he took her by surprise with the honest concern in his eyes.

“Fiona, are you alright? I mean... After what we saw in the vault...” He was stumbling on his words and that alone was taking her walls down. “What I mean is... is everything ok?”

Her knees were ready to give in and for a moment it felt good to realize she was not by herself anymore. What was she going to do with him?

“’Course I'm fine, you idiot. Why wouldn’t I be?”

She watched his eyebrows furrow and she prepared for an outburst, but was saved on the last second by the communication device from his desk.

The man sighed his frustration away.

“Give me a second.”

She made herself busy around the office.

“Go ahead. I presume you have a busy schedule.”

She turned around and her attention fell on a metallic table on the left of the main room. As she made her way to the table she heard Rhys answer.

“What is it?”

_“Sir, the constructions at the site we have in the Highlands are finished. When should I schedule your visit there?”_

A couple of weapons and shields were displayed on the table and Fiona reached for one of the guns.

“Great. Make it tomorrow.”

Her eyes skipped up and she watched Rhys in the mirror-case of the wall in front of her.

_“Any preferences on the hour, sir?”_

“No, I'll leave that to you.” He paused. “Just... Don't schedule it in the morning. That area is filled with lush plants. Some of them open up in the morning and I am allergic to their weird pollen.”

She smiled at the small crack in his authoritarian image and placed the gun back down. Some things never change. She... missed that. 

_“Of course. Also, Professor Kodwill is here to see you regarding his research.”_

“Ugh... Bad timing.”

Fiona felt his eyes on her but pretended to pay attention to one of the shields.

She was feeling out of place again. She felt like this place could crush her at how irrelevant she was.

“Can't he come another time?”

_“This is the third time you are postponing him.”_

He let out a frustrated noise. 

“I am with someone important right now. Tell him to grab a drink at the cafeteria; give him a tour of the engine room; I'm sure you’ll find something. I'll get to him as soon as I can.”

_“Of course.”_

Fiona's hands froze on the shield and the rest of the conversation fell on deaf ears.

_“That should be all, sir.”_

“Ok, thanks.”

He turned the device off and started to make his way to her.

She bit her lip before spinning on her heels with a roll of her eyes and a grin on her lips.

“ _'I am with someone important right now'_ ” she mimicked him. “Wow Rhys, that much you want to avoid the guy that you're using me as an excuse? What is it? He's boring you to death with his researches? Is he too creepy and pushy?” 

“There is nothing wrong with him.”

He approached the table.

“I don't tend to build secrecies at work. If I am busy with something important to me I let them know. This way they'll stop bothering me.”

Her hands clenched tighter around the shield. _Important to me_ he said with the most nonchalant air. He didn't even look up at her as if there was nothing to question about his words.

“These are all the latest prototypes. Some need adjustments; some are ready to hit the market."

He looked at the shield in her hands.

“Ah that's the newest Omega Shield. It's meant to last twice as much as the most powerful we're currently using.”

Fiona turned the piece of gear in her hands and spun it around.

“Careful!” He jumped almost in panic. “If you accidentally force-deplete it, it releases an electric supernova. I like this office the way it is and my limbs attached to my body.”

She froze but she couldn’t lose face.

“Relax; I'm not you, Rhys; I know how these work.”

“Right.”

As gently as she could she put the shield back down and stepped away from the table. _From him._ It was the weird feeling of vicinity that unsettled her. He had always been ridiculously tall but right then he made her feel completely small. And it had nothing to do with heights.

“Do you want something to drink? Water? Coffee?” There was a moment of silence followed by something in his voice that she rather pretend not to notice. 

“Maybe grab something to eat? Are you hungry?” When she failed to answer on time again she sensed him panic and change the meaning behind his words.

“Are you even eating well when you are out there?”

She rolled her eyes and approached his desk, her hand dancing above the polished surface.

“I'm fine.”

She took a seat on the chair in front of the desk, leaving him only with the professional option of sitting across from her, in his own chair.

He didn't like it. She saw it in the way his eyebrows met and in his fallen shoulders. But he followed her unspoken instructions.

“Soo... How has the whole vault hunting business gone for you? Any luck?”

Her lips curled up in a honest smile.

“Being a vault hunter is less glamorous than you'd think. It involves a lot of fake leads, crazy people that want to eat your face off, and running for your life. Of course - less vaults. Actually no real vaults until now. Most of the time you end up in the middle of nowhere with a casket full of explosives and psycho-hoarded junk. If you're lucky you get some weapons to sell at the closest station and afford to digistruct a car to get your ass out of there.”

“Huh...So no luck so far...”

“No luck so far.” She repeated his words. If only he'd know of the fear that gripped her each time she was facing a potential vault. It was not fear of what she'd find; it was the fear that she was on her own. It felt strange; unsettling; it felt incomplete and empty.

He must have felt her drift away.

“You... Are not here just for a casual visit, are you?”

She swallowed and her hands played absentmindedly against the leather arms of the chair.

“Am I that obvious?”

“No, not actually. You never are, and that really annoys me because I never know what to say around you.”

His sudden outburst made her sink her nails in the chair. She deserved it. They were supposed to be friends and here she was; only returning when she needed something. 

“But I know you well enough. I just hope that whatever it is, you're not in some kind of trouble.”

“No, no ... But...” This was a lot harder that she imagined. “I might have a favor to ask.” 

“No surprise there. Did you kill someone you shouldn’t? Do you need cover? Should I ... help you hide the body?”

“What?! No! Nothing like that.' However, her curiosity got triggered. 'But.... Would you do that if it were the case?”

She only wanted to cheer up the mood with a joke. She was not expecting for Rhys to fall prey to his own demons.

“I've... done things far worse and we both know. I can't sweep them under any carpet that I own. We're friends, aren't we? We can't afford the luxury of a clean conscience anymore. The best we can do is to have each other's back, right?” He smiled but it pained her to see that the smile never reached his eyes.

That moment she felt disgusted with herself. She had been selfish and ran away from her problems. She hadn't been around to see him grow; she hadn't been around to help him through the struggle. And yet he was still willing to hold on to ... whatever they had.

“Rhys...” Her voice trailed off. “Have you really meant it? What you’ve said to me that day? At the vault?”

She looked up at him only to see the man suddenly straightening in his chair.

His eyes lit up.

She held her breath.

“Yes.”

His answer came out with one short breath. He frowned for a split of a second.

“I mean... I am not quite sure which part of it you're referring to but... I meant everything I said that day.”

A weak smile reached her lips but it died. She tried again but it didn't work. This was the moment. She could finally ask him and be done with it.

But her voice was stuck in the back of her throat. The expectation in his eyes made the room spin and for a split of a second she completely forgot why she was there. For a split of a second she felt a storm building up inside and instead of navigating it, for the first time she just wanted to let go of the ropes and drawn in it.

He swallowed and waited for a sign from her. He pushed her one more step closer to the edge and something inside grew with a maddening want to know - _‘What did you mean by 'I'm interested in someone else? What sort of half answer is that? Is this a game with you? I'm tired of running away from answers. You and your stupid ambitions! How am I supposed to follow if you go where I can't reach? Slow down and have patience with me.'_

“About the job offer...” It was her reason that won the fight.

The sight in front of her made her feel like a murderer. His eyebrows fell and his jaw clenched. His entire body withdrew in defeat against the back of his chair.

She had to look away as she delivered the killing blow.

“Is that offer still standing?”

There was a long moment of silence. No more turning back, and she knew it. She was glad that she had been able to step on her pride and ask for help as she intended when she decided to contact him. But why was her heart aching and why did she feel as if she was losing?

It took a while for him to lift his eyes from the desk and look up at her. 

“Yeah.. I can… he brought his hand up to the bridge of his nose. A long sigh followed and he gathered his words again. “I can come up with some jobs. I'll see what we have.”

“Thanks... I wouldn’t ask this of you if I wouldn’t need the money. I’ve gathered something from various jobs on Pandora but I still need a few more.”

He shook his own thoughts away and searched for her eyes in confusion.

“What do you need money for?”

She bit her lip. She knew this question would follow and was aware that she shouldn't have mentioned any of it. But something inside pushed her; she desperately wanted to look up at him but she was afraid. Afraid that what she would see could make her change her mind. She needed to do this and she couldn’t back away now.

“I...” She stopped and coughed. Did her voice just betray her? She needed to start again. “I've been thinking while I was around Pandora; leaving like that was selfish. I've made a promise to Sasha and I need to keep my promise.”

She couldn't meet his eyes even though she felt the sudden tension in the body from across the desk.

“Felix... He did some stupid things and I couldn't forgive him but... He has right. It's best to step out of the game while I still can, and not waste my life in this business. Better get out once I have the chance. I've promised Sasha we will leave behind this law forgotten corner of the world.” She talked and talked, too scared to stop. “I've almost gathered everything we need to leave Pandora behind but I am still short of some money and there is a flight at the end of the month to Eden 5. That’s our chance. From there we can travel to Hestia and then to Aquator. We can finally start anew in a place where she doesn't have to sleep with a gun under her pillow and I won’t have to worry that one day one of the bounty hunters will catch up with me."

“You're... leaving?”

_Damn it, Rhys! Just say ok so that we’re done. Just be an ass and let me go._

“Yes. Sasha needs it.” She clenched her jaw. “We… need it. We need a fresh start so that we can finally be happy.”

“Is this what you want?” 

She felt panic in his voice and it felt as if it was spreading to her.

“We need this.” She had opened her mouth to say yes but she found herself an escape route without feeling like she was lying.

He remained silent.

She could not look at him but she stole a glance as his metallic fingers clenched on the arm of his chair.

“You really think you'll be happy... away from here? I.. I mean I thought you enjoyed what you were doing.”

She held her breath. She loved what she was doing. At least she used to. The last year had been... empty.

“I do but... I can't let it consume me. I have more important things. It's been fun, but... I am not going to let Sasha down for some wild chase. This is for the best.”

The silence between them was so heavy that Fiona started to feel out of place again. Why wasn't he saying anything?

“And you want me to help you leave - Pandora?” He stopped mid-sentence and corrected whatever his initial thoughts were.

“You are just helping me with some money. It's not like I am begging for it. I am here to offer my services for them.”

She froze when Rhys suddenly thrust forward towards the desk. For a moment she thought he was going to jump up and slam his hands on the polished surface, but the flash of anger was gone before she could actually be sure it happened. Instead, his hands swiped through the documents he had on the desk, keeping himself busy and hiding his face from her.

He cleared his throat and Fiona felt her knees going weak at the momentarily skip in his voice. But when he spoke his tone was harsh and distant. Had she imagined it?

“Fine. I will see if I can find use of your skills on a job. I'll contact you if that will be the case.”

His work on the files was done but he still refused to look her way.

“Thanks” her voice came out weaker than she intended.

“A-ha...” He glanced at the holographic screen. “If that was all, I have a few more meetings scheduled for today.”

She pushed her lips tightly together to stop an expression that was threatening to betray her. Her hands squeezed on her knees. When had she pulled them closer to her body?

Everything was coming back, crushing down on her. He was treating her like a damn ... job. Why was she angry? Wasn't that what she asked of him? He was kicking her out with the cold attitude of a corporate bastard. She felt again like a misplaced Pandoran nobody but now it... really hurt. She wanted to flip him off.  
She was not going to let him treat her that way. Just because now he was someone it didn't give him the right to place her beneath him. Her hands turned into fists... but that was all that she could do.

Biting on her tongue, she got up.

“I'll be in Hollow Point for the meantime. If you have anything you can contact me there.”

He glanced up at her for a short moment.

“Do you have a place there? Are you meeting with Sasha at The Purple Skag?”

“Probably. But I'll be staying at the old safe house. Better not bring the attention on others in case someone traces my location.”

He frowned and for a second she felt him struggle not to break his distant demeanor.

“Ok.” with that he turned his attention to the communication device and opened a channel.

“Is Kodwill still around?”

The answer didn't arrive immediately, his secretary probably not prepared for the sudden question.

_“Yes, sir; Staring at me as we speak from the seat across the hall.”_

“He’s not bothering you, is he?”

_“Oh no, not at all. He just refused to move from here until you'll agree to meet with him.”_

“Really? Now I am almost tempted to make him wait, see how much it would take for his patience to run low.”

_“Please don't, sir.”_

“I was joking; send him up, please.”

_“Gladly.”_

Fiona took her cue to leave during the conversation. She made her way through the large office but every step she was taking was making her more and more uncomfortable. Then she stopped. She turned around and waited for him to meet her eyes.

When he did, she could not explain the pain trapped in her chest.

She had no idea when it all had happened. She never noticed him. Not while they were together for the long ride, not when they got their assess dragged across the desert. She never looked at him _that_ way. Looking back, she had been extremely fond of the silence they shared inside the vault; of the small tug at her palm when he had helped her up. Then everything was blasted away by the madness from _the other side_. She thought it had broken everything. But it started with a longing. Realizing she was missing him had been her first mistake. And then, there was no turning back; just plain denial from her part. Because… _absence makes the heart grow fonder._

'Hey, Rhys. ... It was nice seeing you again.”

He held her gaze for a long time before he looked down at his arms.

“I am glad to know that nothing bad happened to you and you're not dead in some obscure corner of Pandora. Even if you showed up only when you needed a favour.”

He was not angry anymore and at that moment she wished he would be. He had every reason to feel that way and she couldn't blame him.

She was not good at expressing herself. And at that point she thought she also had a talent at ruining her own life. She knew that no answer she could come up with would be enough to make things better. So she remained silent. She must have looked like a kicked puppy while she made her way to the elevator.

She was never a dreamer. She couldn’t afford it. She had to put safety ahead of everything and be the grown up. That had kept her and Sasha alive; but on the long run it had severed her expectations and hopes. She had always been alright with that. Having no expectations meant having no broken dreams or unfulfilled wishes. And now she was angry with herself for breaking her own rules.

Until the very last moment, before the doors of the elevator closed, something in her hoped. Hoped that he would stop her; hoped that he would step on his damned pride; hoped that he would see past her mistake and fight her decision; hoped that he would give her certainty instead of those stupid dreamy eyes and half implied declarations.

But he never did. And now she was left with the silent sound of the descending elevator and the pain in her chest.


	3. What we left in-between

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> huh boy, finally here - third part. I am so, so, so sorry that it's out so late. A lot of stuff happened lately and kept me busy. Bleah, never mind that. At least I managed to find the time to finish this part and upload it. After this, we have one more stop: the last chapter will be short and will only have one scene. And I can't wait to write that one.  
> But most important - thank you so much for the comments and the kudos. I seriously was not expecting the story to get this attention. My e-mail reminded me almost each day that someone was reading this and I had to do it; I had to finish the chapter and upload it because... seriously... what I mean is: thank you for the positive feedback. You have no idea how motivational it has been. Hope you'll find the waiting worth it as you read the chapter.  
> Cheers, darlings!

There was not a single clean plate around that rat hole. She tapped her bare foot on the cold planks of the floor and stretched on her toes to reach the top shelves.

The only thing that her fingers found was more dust.

Why was she even concerning herself with a plate when there was no food around either?

Fiona could kill for at least some hot coffee. Domestic life was so much better with Sasha around. She took her sister's cooking and cleaning for granted. She was better than her at so many things. How does one master the ability of putting a bullet through your head and know how to keep a decent, admirable living style? It was energy consuming.

And Fiona's was below the functionality's level.

She should have taken Janey's offer last night and grab something from her fridge before leaving. But she had to be stubborn.

She had been back in Hollow Point for a week now and she was already sick of this garbage town. The only reason why she was staying here was because it was hard for everyone to track her. In case a fool or another was getting any idea of becoming rich on the expense of her head. She has crossed her fair share of wrong people back in the days when she was in the business with Sasha, but the bounties on her head that she collected this past year were ridiculous. Not that she regretted any of it... just...it was less fun.

She gave up looking for any sort of provisions. She hated the place. Why Janey was insisting on keeping her business here was beyond her.

_“I don't get you. I mean, the things you've done to the place are amazing. But I am sure you can accomplish more in whatever other town on Pandora. You can roll the dice if you don't know which to pick. Anywhere else is better than here... Well... almost.”_  
_“Could be. But I like it here. Scooter gave me this and I don't plan on letting it go to waste.”_  
_The blonde put the gears she was working on down to take a swing at her bottle of beer._  
_“Plus... This is home.”_  
_Fiona knew she was making a face._  
_“Still, you could do better.”_  
_“Oh I don't know. I’m happy here. With Athena, I mean. I found my place; and it has nothin' to do with Hollow Point. It's us. Sure, we can go anywhere else but this is perfect. It works for the both of us. If we're happy it means this is where we should be.”_

Why had her mind fallen asleep on that conversation last night? She felt an emptiness in her stomach as she found herself thinking of Janey's words the next morning as well. 

Janey was different. If it was working for her it didn't mean that it could work for herself as well. Janey was an idealist. Fiona could not live on dreams. 

And as to prove her point, the door of one of the old shelves gave up and fell on the counter, ricocheting further on the floor. 

Well... that much was clear. 

She was brought back from her depressing thoughts by a sudden ruckus coming from outside the safe house. 

She frowned. It sounded as if something heavy had been thrown against the metallic walls of the alley; muffled whimpers followed. 

Sure, there was a fair amount of stabbing and shooting happening on the streets of Hollow Point but anything too close to her hiding place was nothing to be ignored. 

In a few jumps she was by the sack she used as a bed and attached her gun back to her wrist. 

She didn't bother putting her boots on. Plus, they would have created more noise. 

With caution she approached the door and with her back against the wall she removed the locks. 

Through the small crack she took a peek outside. 

There was a psycho – tall, broad shoulders; not enough weight to create much of a complication - back turned to her, facing the trash container. He was local.

Because he didn't seem to pay attention, Fiona dared to open the door a bit more to scout the alley for anyone else. 

Place seemed clear. She narrowed her eye when he raised his arm with a rusty machete in his hand. 

Looking further down she could distinguish a second, smaller figure curled up between the garbage bins. 

“Gimme what'cha'have before I start cuttin’ you to little pieces and feed you to my skag.” 

Well somebody was going to get mugged early in the morning. Definitely not their luckiest day. 

Fiona was not the type to get involved in trouble that was not hers. The guy wasn't even worth it if he was unlucky enough to have to cross through Hollow Point. She was about to close the door when something caught her eyes. 

From her position she could not see much of the man. She knew it was male by the clean shoes he was wearing and by the sleeve of his shirt. But that was not the reason her alarms went off. The package he was holding in his arm; she watched his hand bring the box closer to his body; a grey metallic box with the distinctive orange Atlas logo. 

_Oh for -_

She rolled her eyes as the door went wide opened. 

_Abandoned building; metal wrecks on the ground; up one level damaged overhang; too many pieces of fallen plastering and bricks above; psycho was too far in the back; too much to the right;_

Most people call her reckless; they watch her act and say that she's relying too much on odds; that she gambles on pure luck and her quick tongue only gets her in trouble; and that sort of thinking is exactly what she's counting on. Her words get all the attention while her brain sees the outcome. 

“Hey asshole, you're making a lot of noise and I already had a bad start this morning. So why don't you go find yourself another back-alley to piss about?” 

The scavenger startled and a growl left his throat. Slowly he turned around, his hand clenching around the weapon. 

“Back off! I found him first! Loot is mine.”

She sighed. 

He started to make his way to her and she advanced until her bare foot met the cold metal of a rusty beam. 

“Now if you want to play 'first come first served' you've already lost. Cause this is my alley, so you follow my rules. Basically everything that's here - mine. Including that garbage over there" She pointed at the bins but her eyes fell on the man sprawled through them. He had the face of a rat who was about to die of a heart attack. He had the package in his left arm and a coffee mug in the other. His wide eyes were locked on her and there was a stuffed sandwich in his mouth, completely forgotten. He looked like a typical delivery boy, probably used to indoor errands more than a ride around Pandora. _What sort of idiot sends an office boy in a place like this?_ Well, she had an answer to her own question. 

The psycho stepped closer and she could smell the alcohol and paint on him. 

“You wanna fight?” 

__One more step._ _

“Maybe I'll skin you too and –” 

“Well you won't be able to do that from a distance, now won't you?” 

“Oh wait till I-” 

One more step and she raised her leg and brought it back down on the curved beam at her feet. The other end jumped up, hitting him between the legs. The man instantly yelled and curled down in pain. She went closer to him and reached out for the support pole of the overhang. With a powerful shove it gave in and bricks started to fall on the man, knocking him to the ground. 

She stepped on the hilt of the machete and shoved it away. 

“My rules.” 

After she was sure that he was not going to get up anytime soon she turned to the petrified man. 

“Are you Atlas?” 

He did not move a muscle. 

She frowned and suddenly clapped her hands in front of his face. 

“Anyone in there?” 

That seemed to do the trick as he started to struggle up, stubbornly holding on to both the package and the coffee mug. 

His voice was heard for the first time but only incoherent noises made it through the teeth that were keeping the sandwich in place. 

“Let me help you with that.” 

As soon as she took the coffee from his hand he gripped the sandwich with his free hand. 

"Thank YOU so much!! I really thought I was a goner. Have you ever seen your whole life flash in front of your eyes? My god, that's how I felt. I even thought - right before you showed up, I told myself - I never told my mother how much I loved her pancakes and curious - this could have been my last moment alive and my mind went to the washing machine back at home, and how those clothes will mold inside with no one to get them out if I die. Can you believe it? Who thinks of that? Would you?” 

Fiona regretted freeing his hand. 

“No. Can’t say I would. Don't own a washing machine." Her tone was dry. 

“Oh” finally up, he looked at her as if he had said something unnecessarily mean. 

But her eyes went down to his feet and she grimaced. 

He did the same and panicked again when he saw that his left foot had pierced through one of the bins and something yellow was oozing out, past his pants. 

“Ew, ew, ew!!” The man jumped around in desperation, trying to get rid of the bin. 

__Pretentious corporate wuss._ _

She put one hand on her hip and casually took a sip from the coffee. 

__Shit, that thing tasted great._ _

“What's an Atlas employee like you doing around these parts?” 

He was still fighting with the bag. 

“I'm here to make a delivery.” 

“A delivery?” 

At that he turned at her. 

He looked at her then at the monitor on his wrist. And back at her. 

“You... You're her? Miss Fiona?” 

_Miss Fiona_ ... It felt strange to hear someone call her that. 

His eyes went wide again. “Waa… You're a vault hunter. This is the first time I see - or talk to a real vault hunter. When Mr. A. asked for someone to deliver this I took the job because wow, a vault hunter. And if I could do this, my colleagues would be speechless.” He paused. “Well… now I am not so sure this was the best idea.” 

The guy was all over the place. 

“Mr. A?” 

“Ah... Please don't tell anyone I called him that.” His cheeks went red. “A as in Atlas.” 

Her gears started to turn and make sense out if his babbling. 

“Hold on... Are you – are you talking about Rhys right now?” 

His eyes went wide with awe. 

“You called him by his first name... Oh man, everyone at the office will be so jealous! I knew it! The president knows a vault hunter personally.” 

“Ok. Stop right there. I don't think I can handle any more of whatever... inner dialogue you are having with yourself. So what's the deal? He sent you with something for me?” 

“Ah yes! Here it is. He left instructions to give this to no one else but you.” 

She couldn't help herself. 

“And how do you know I'm the right person?” 

“ _Short hair with coral stripe on the left side'_ he said. _‘olive skin; always has this look as if she's about to rob you blind; pretty ocean eyes._ '” 

She had no idea how to react to that. That little shit had insulted her but… did he really think she had pretty eyes? And what the hell was coral? Show off! 

“What’s in it?” 

“I... don't know. It's sealed and I am pretty sure I am not allowed to open it.” 

“Really? What if he'd send you around Pandora carrying a bomb?” 

He froze for a short moment. 

“He wouldn't. He's a reasonable man.” 

“Reasonable...right. Does he also pay you to say stuff like that?” 

“What? No. Well… the payment is decent, true... And nobody knows a lot about him as he usually keeps to himself and only comes out of his office when needed… But I guess you don't build a company this big out of nothing by wasting time chatting around, am I right? After all he brought Atlas up on his own for a long time. That's why we call him that - Mr. Atlas – seemed fitting... and he's an ok boss.” 

Why did she have to ask? The guy could not stop talking. 

“Great. Can I have the package now?” 

“Ah yes! Here.” 

She took the box and glanced up at him. 

“Anything else he said?” 

“Ummm no. Just to deliver. Nothing else. Ah also, I'll need your signature for de-” 

He pushed a button on his wrist watch and a monitor opened. 

“I'm not adding my signature to any Atlas database.” 

“But.. I need proof of deliver-” 

“No.” 

It was fun to watch him wince when she glared at him. 

“May I at least have my coffee back?” 

“No. And I am also confiscating this.” 

With one swift move she grabbed the sandwich from him hand. 

“Hey! That's my breakfast.” 

“I'm sure you can get another. And consider this payment for saving your skin.” She looked to the other man who was starting to wake up. “Also you might want to get out of here before your friend over there comes back to his senses.” 

It was all that the man needed to forget of his signature and breakfast. 

“Should I say anything to Mr. A from you?” 

She should mind her business but - 

“Yeah; tell _Mr Atlas_ that he's a pretentious jackass for sending his monkeys on errands. A call at the Purple Skag would have been enough.” 

The expression on the man' face at the lack of respect she was showing to his superior made her day better. Fiona turned around and heard him make a run for it, out of the alley. She hoped he had a car nearby. As she approached the psycho, he attempted to talk and threaten her again. With one quick kick she took down the other pillar and whatever was left of the bricks came down on him. 

She slammed the door of the safe house and made her way to the counter. 

Her stomach was happy as she munched on the sandwich. At that point she really couldn't care less if the guy had taken a bite from it. 

The woman turned the box around and found the two switches. Hitting both of them, Fiona removed the lid and threw it on the ground without much consideration. She presumed he wouldn’t be asking back for the box. 

She stared down at the echo device in the box. 

“How much of a snob can you be? You've probably watched too many movies with mobsters, Rhys.” 

She grabbed the device and turned it on. 

“You have 2 echo-logs.” 

Really?” 

Finally, she pushed play. 

“Hello Fiona. Or at least I am going to assume it's you who's listening. If by any chance this didn't make it to you and somebody else is listening then... Never mind. Anyway," 

Fiona put the device down on the counter and grabbed the coffee. 

“Dork.” 

“I found a job for you. I'm going to leave the details in the second message. I'm sure it's not something you won't be able to handle; just a guy in Overlook who happens to hold some properties we’re interested in. I need that terrain for a new scientific outpost but the guy is a scammer and thinks he can ask for it more than its value. I don't want that deal to end up violently. So maybe you can convince him of what's … best for him. You'll get it once you reach the second log.” 

She was more interested in devouring her sandwich than paying attention to his recording. 

“I want you to keep this Echo device in case you'll need anything. It has a private line to my device so you can contact me whenever you want. Also, I asked for some modifications so it's bulletproof and made of shock-resistant materials; just so you won't have to come up with more excuses to avoid me.” 

She froze and the food got stuck in her throat. 

Fiona glanced at the Echo. 

“Also I ... added a little present in the box.” She frowned and made her way back to the box. 

'Well... you don't have to think of it as a present if you don't want to.” Even if it was a recorded log she felt the way he was trying to regain his distant voice. "Since you're doing a job for me, I felt uncomfortable sending you out just like that.” 

She looked inside and wondered how she had missed it. 

“It's the shield you checked out in my office. I saw it got your attention and I asked my team to do the final adjustments and take it out of the beta version. It works like a charm; saw it being tested. It should do the job just nicely and keep you safe out there.” 

She grabbed the shield and turned it in her hands. There was a new lump in her throat and it had nothing to do with the food. 

“I don't need your stupid shield.” She whispered to herself. 

“I know you think you're good and that it's stupid.” Was he now able to read minds? “That's why I said you don't have to see it as a gift either. If you want to be stubborn, at least use it while you work for me, and you can return it after. You… won't be needing it anyway once you'll leave.” 

Her jaw clenched. 

“So yeah, that's all, I guess. You'll have your info in the next message. ...” She thought it stopped. “Take care.” 

Only when the static died as well Fiona moved again. She put the shield down and looked at what was left of the sandwich in her hand. Her appetite had died. 

She discarded it in the garbage bin by the counter and chose to be angry. Anger was better. 

____Why did he have to care if he couldn't care enough?_ _ _ _

**~~~**

“You can't tell me that everyone bought it.” 

“You should have seen them fight for the exit. Oh, and his face when he realised that his men abandoned him.” 

“If only I could empty the conference room of the marketing department as easily as that.” 

"Well, if you pay well I might be interested in extending my services to you.” 

“Yeah, have my personal vault hunter to get me out of all the headache-giving meetings with unbelievable excuses. How many times do you think that will work?” 

"Want to test it out? I can be very creative.” 

“Never said otherwise.” Fiona stepped out of the building and folded the signed document with satisfaction. The job was done. She made her way to the parked runner. 

“You know… this place doesn't look half bad. You sure you want to build another facility here? Could be a great place for a personal mansion or something. You're big enough to afford that.”

“Could be. But apparently the soil is good for whatever the biology department is interested in and they need it for some researches on seeds that can't be found on Pandora. Plus, a mansion is not really my style. Funny how things turned out. I always saw myself buying an entire building if I ever had the possibility. But… occasionally I still get lost on the floor of my office so I dropped that idea. 

She turned the engine and felt the vehicle skip towards the road.

“How much time do you spend out of that office anyway?”

She told herself it was just a random question, for the sake of keeping the conversation flowing through the Echo device; that she hadn't been thinking that much of what his employee had said about him; and that her voice was not cleared with concern.

“Normal amount.” He almost sounded insulted. “I leave whenever I am needed somewhere. I hope it's not too often though.”

“Well aren't you just a giver, Mr. Atlas."

"Oh ha ha. I know what they're calling me. It's disconcerting. Flattering of course but still ... puts a lot of pressure on me you know. And must you make fun of every good thing in my life?” 

“I am just making sure all this glory doesn’t get to your head. Somebody needs to be there to slap you back to the ground. What would you do with yourself without me?”

But the silences that answered her was heavy and made her realize her mistake.

_She was leaving..._

No sound came through the Echo. She was left with the noise of the engine and a bitter taste in her mouth.

“I guess I'll have to find out soon.” 

Fiona had not been ready for his bold answer. This was not the first time she was left at loss of words because he would simply not act his part as the coward he used to be.

He was pushing her as if she was the only one to blame, but he wasn't doing anything to stop her mistakes.

He cleared his voice and it was enough to understand that whatever they had going on, she has successfully killed it. Leg pressed further on the pedal, the engine roared down the dusty road.

She cursed at herself. He'd been with her throughout her job; listening through the Echo and at times exchanging remarks. For just those moments it felt as if things were back to normal. Having him around for witty one-lines, petty comebacks and pointless  
disagreements... felt _fitting_. Just him and her... like it was _‘meant to be'_.

And she less than gracefully managed to put her foot in her mouth and screw it up.

_Way to go, Fiona._

“Anyway... You can drop the papers at the nearest Atlas station to you. I'll send the coordinates to your Echo.” 

She bit the inside of her cheek as his voice reminded her of their purely professional arrangement.

“I've...” There was a coughed pause at the other end of the line. “I've already made a transfer for the money on an Atlas account on your name. You can check the amount and everything from your device. I believe it should be enough for this one job.”

When there was silence between them she realised that he was waiting for an answer. One she had to push out of herself.

“Sure. And ... thanks”

Muffled sounds reached her through the Echo and she could only imagine him fiddle at the other end. She held her breath, something in this tensioned silence triggering all the alarms in her head.

A sharp sigh released through her Echo and her panic got the best of her, cutting his sentence before he even had the chance to let it all out.

“So... I've got the evening free. Maybe you'd like to join me for dinner or so-“ 

“Rhys, I'm leaving.”

The words burnt her tongue. Her nails dug in the wheel.

An eternity might as well have passed until his voice reached her again. 

“I know, _Fiona_.” She could have sworn his words hung in irritation. But it died in a dismissing sigh. “That's why ... I thought we could just... meet and… catch up a bit before you...” His voice died out together with his intentions. “Move on. Whatever. Forget I even tried.”

He cleared his throat.

"I'll get back to you when I'll have a new job.” One last pause. “Take care out there.”

When the Echo device died her panic only gripped stronger. She hadn't mean it, damn it. _‘Try harder, you son of a gun!'_ she felt as if she was screaming, but knew that in fact, her lips had been tightly pressed together the entire time.

She unstrapped the Echo from her belt and put it on the chair next to her. Fiona found herself dialing for the account information. When the numbers came up she forced the runner into a complete stop, her body slightly thrusting forward, with her foot still glued to the break.

It was more than half of what she needed; it was three times more than what the job was worth.

The realisation of how real everything was hit her and she thought her chest would crush under the pressure.

She was leaving.

And he was making it happen.

Her inside turned and she fought the urge to get out of the car and throw up.

**~~~**

The ocean nail-polish reflected the neon red of the light hanging in the bar. Her fingers kept spinning the dirty glass with the speed that her mind was reliving her conversation from earlier the same evening.

Nothing was going as planned. Not a single. Damned. Thing.

Why was she surprises anyway? Plans never worked for her. She had been stupid in making one still, even after knowing this.

She took a swing and grimaced at the horrible burn. That thing was shit.

_“Wow... Fiona... Are... Are these what I think they are?”_  
_“Yep. They are our tickets out of Pandora. And I can't get more literal than this.”/ ___  
_She'd seen Sasha's face brighten in surprise. She'd seen her speechless. And for that moment, she thought it was worth it. Giving everything for that one moment ... felt like a really small price to pay._  
But that was as far as her plans could get her, before crumbling in front of her. 

__She raised her eyes and glanced from under her hat at the drunk bandit falling from the bar stool._ _

_____“We're... we're finally doing this sis...”_  
_“I guess we are.”_  
_And it all had started so well..._  
_“Fi, you... do you really want to do this?”_  
_It had been something in Sasha's voice that had given her a sensation of déjà vu. That same feeling you get the moment you realise something is going to take you down._  
_“Don't you?”_

__Fiona leaned in her chair, against the wall behind her, keeping to the shadows as much as she could._ _

____They had shared silence, they had shared questions…__  
_“You know... if you would have asked me years ago... after the entire mess with Helios... I would have started packing the next second.”_  
_“And now?”_  
_She remembered how Sasha avoided her eyes._  
_“Now... Sure it sounds great to start anew but... even with all the madness that's going on on Pandora... I think I am happy now.”_  
_“But you always wanted to leave. Remember? Pandora was a lot prettier from afar. Down here every day can be your last day.”_  
_“It is like that, isn’t it?” Her laughter had been contagious but it hadn't calmed Fiona “but we already survived long enough to know that… and… you can't tell me we're not enjoying it at times as well. Look at us… do you really think we could fit in a life that's too quiet and peaceful?”_  
_"I'm sure as hell ready to give it a try.”_

__She hit the empty glass against the wooden table. She had been stubbornly insisting on a cause she had known to be long lost. It had been hard for Sasha to admit the truth, probably too scared to disappoint her but she already had her mind set._ _

_“Fi... I... I think I'm happy here. I... we have friends here now.”_

__Fiona frowned at the memory... that son of a - ... he had let her make a fool of herself in front of him. He had known all along and still he -_ _

_“You know... things are working great for me. August and I are actually getting business moving around Pandora with the entire weapons and gear deals. Did you know we actually managed to piss off Marcus last month because his profit dropped in Three Horns? Rhys has been helping a lot. We move about his products in areas that are not on the official Atlas market and we split the profit 40%-60%. It's mad how well things are working. At this rate we could exten-”_  
_“Wait. Rhys is helping you and August out?”_  
_“Yes. It's actually a great partnership. He came with the idea and well… it took some good months to make it work but it's... it's something I am good at. I enjoy doing this.”_

___She had stepped into his office asking for help to get Sasha and herself out of Pandora. He had let her talk about promises and how they needed this change; and all along, he had known that Sasha had in fact no desire to leave; he had let her… throw mud on everything around them without saying a word._ _ _

___Her head hit the wall and she stared absentmindedly towards one of the flickering lights of the bar._ _ _

___She could not hold it anymore and a quiet, bitter laughter left her throat. She would have enjoyed the irony if she weren't the victim of her own mistakes. It was true what they say… tasting your own medicine sucks; being the one taken for a fool and robbed of dignity…felt like shit. She couldn’t believe that she had been played at her own game, and by him of all the people out there._ _ _

___Her thoughts were interrupted when a large obstacle covered the only source of light reaching her from the bar._ _ _

___She pushed herself straight in the chair and narrowed her eyes at the person who was invading her secluded corner. It was't hard to recognize one of the large guys working there._ _ _

___The man pushed a bottle on her table and was about to turn and walk away._ _ _

___“Err… I didn't ask for this.”_ _ _

___“Boss’ orders.”_ _ _

___She leaned a bit to look past the brute and her eyes darted at the man behind the bar, who was deep in a conversation with a customer._ _ _

___“Oh no. If he thinks he can trick me into paying extra-”_ _ _

___“He said it's on the house.”_ _ _

___Fiona paused and glanced at the bottle. The brute considered his job done and walked away._ _ _

___She kept her eyes on the bottle. He was partially at fault as well for her misery. If he was thinking that he could buy her with alcohol -_ _ _

___Who was she lying to? At this point alcohol was her best option. She grabbed the bottle and poured some in her glass. The second it touched her lips she shook at the burning sensation and at the familiarity of the content. It tasted like an old memory, years ago, same bar, same table; it tasted like adrenaline, a failed con, and a fake vault key. She didn't know if the man was really good at keeping a grudge or simply constant in his tastes._ _ _

___Whatever the mix was made of, it was one of the strongest things she'd ever drink. But down her throat it went._ _ _

_______“Plus... I don't want to leave August behind. We... we're not perfect but... we have something great. And don't make that face! I know you don't agree of him.”_  
_“Can you blame me? He's bad news. And well...his life is not exactly paradise. You live ten times more dangerously around him.”_  
_That damned laughter. That laughter that melted Fiona. She could argue with lots of things, but not against her sister’s happiness._  
_“I know... It's kind of fun. I mean… for our entire lives we've lived dangerously, Fi. I got used to it. It's not so different. This time it just involves more guns. Which is not entirely bad if you ask me.”_

____She could not understand. What has changed? All that Sasha ever wanted was a safe home; a place where she wouldn't need to constantly watch over her shoulder._ _ _ _

_____What had changed?_ _ _ _ _

_________“Fiona... Are you mad at me?”_  
_“Mad... Why would I be mad?”_  
_“Well... you've ran all around Pandora for us; to make this happen. And… I feel horrible for not telling you sooner; for... letting you down.”_  
_“What? No, Sasha... you're not letting me down. It's… it's your decision. And I am not mad... a bit confused. But ... I'll be fine… I... just need some time on my own for now.”_  
_She had been stumbling on her own words. Sasha had offered her a weak, concerned smile. She felt guilty. Fiona knew she needed to go; Sasha's pity and guilt were not things she knew how to cope with._  
_She had grabbed the tickets from the table; gripped them too hard; buried them in the pocked if her coat and looked for the door._  
_“Give me some time Sash. I'll see you later"_  
_…_  
_“Hey sis...?”_  
_..._  
_“You 're not going to leave on your own, are you?”_

_____Her fingers kept spinning the empty glass. Her mind kept spinning her bitter memories. This had gone horribly._ _ _ _ _

_____Fiona almost startled when a second glass was thrown on her table, soon to be followed by a body ungracefully slipping on the chair across from her._ _ _ _ _

_____“You know, if you're planning to get shitface and wasted, you're doing this all wrong.”_ _ _ _ _

_____The woman glared, hoping to get the message across._ _ _ _ _

_____“I even gave you the best mix but if you're gonna take a whole year to finish it, you ain't going anywhere.”_ _ _ _ _

_____He snatched the bottle and poured some into his glass._ _ _ _ _

_____As he took a mouthful of alcohol he held her glare._ _ _ _ _

_____“Wha? I'm intruding?”_ _ _ _ _

_____“Since you’re asking, yeah, something like that.”_ _ _ _ _

_____“Well too bad. Cause I own this place.”_ _ _ _ _

_____“And? You ran out of drunks to throw out or business partners to shoot in the face?”_ _ _ _ _

_____“Neah.. Just we all need a break from time to time.”_ _ _ _ _

_____Eventually she gave up. She really had no energy to waste on him._ _ _ _ _

_____“Geesh, you're a downer. You ain't even trying to make me look like a moron...”_ _ _ _ _

_____She pushed her lips and told herself that there was no reason to hate him. But he was part of the problem, right? She could at least resent him._ _ _ _ _

_____The man frowned and at the lack of reaction from her, every hint of humour disappeared from his voice._ _ _ _ _

_____“So... Sasha told me about the talk you had this evening.”_ _ _ _ _

_____She rolled her eyes; it was too late to stop the habit._ _ _ _ _

_____“Of course she did. Did she call you after I left her place?” With her head turned towards the bar, she glanced at him from the corner of her eyes._ _ _ _ _

_____“Did you also echo her as soon as I got here? Should I expect a dramatic scene where she gets here and we get to have a very uncomfortable talk?”_ _ _ _ _

_____“What?! No! She doesn't know you're here. To tell you the truth, when I saw you stepping through the door, I thought I’d have to throw everyone out before you start a fight. It would’ve been bad for business.”_ _ _ _ _

_____“Really, August? You really think so little of my self-control?”_ _ _ _ _

_____“Oh so you do want to punch me in the face. Good to know.”_ _ _ _ _

_____August was not the brightest conversation partner and she was losing her patience. She didn't even need a conversation partner to start with. She just wanted to be left alone. That's why she had stepped inside his bar- to find a dark corner and drink herself to misery._ _ _ _ _

_____“Do you have a point with all this? Or you just butted in to get on my nerves?”_ _ _ _ _

_____“Hey look, I get it - you're angry. You've got the right to be. That's why I didn't say anything to Sasha. I know the look of a person who wants nothing else than to get wasted when I see it. And no offence, but I am happy it's you and not me.”_ _ _ _ _

_____“Oh wow. Good job at rubbing it in my face, jerk.” But she let out a long sigh. “I get what you're trying to do here so just - don't. If that's how you want to make things less awkward between us, you're completely shit at it.”_ _ _ _ _

_____He paused._ _ _ _ _

_____“That did come out wrong, didn't it? I mean, don't get this wrong; you're taking this far better than I would. If Sasha would have said yes to you and left me behind... I would have totally taken it out on you. So I respect you for ... this... you know.”_ _ _ _ _

_____She did not even honor that with an answer._ _ _ _ _

_____“August, listen - we were never good at ... being civilised with each-other. No need to star trying now.”_ _ _ _ _

_____They shared silence. Fiona emptied her glass and August took another swing._ _ _ _ _

_____It was not true, really. They wouldn’t admit it because it made them feel stupid and weak. Also because it always had happened without a beginning or an end. One moment they would insult each other and the next one one of them would blurt out their issues.  
He'd say something offensive, like how bitchy she is or how she has a mental condition where she can't talk two sentences without spitting a lie, and then he'd ask her if Sasha would ever consider moving in with him if he'd ask. She'd call Sasha on her Echo only to find him answering while her sister was busy with a thing or another; she'd say something to make him feel stupid and make fun of him, and then she'd ask him how to replace a damaged receiver to her looted smg. She couldn't tell how it all started. Why he chose to talk to her about how much it hurt to be back-stabbed by someone he trusted, while having a gun pointed at her head. Why instead of dismissing his bipolar ass, she answered with her own experience on how betrayal felt. He would throw his insecurities at her the same way he was throwing insults. And she would slip her problems his way with the same casual attitude she used to make a fool out of him._ _ _ _ _

_____“If... you need a place to be alone and drink your brain off... feel free, it's all I'm saying. Alcohol and questionably smelling table are on me.”_ _ _ _ _

_____They kept quiet._ _ _ _ _

_____“Just... one thing... you don't have to listen to what I say but... maybe you should learn how to find your own place and loosen your grip a bit. The world will keep on movin' even when you don 't control all the cards in the game.”_ _ _ _ _

_____“What happened to the place where I could be left alone?”_ _ _ _ _

_____“Huh, yeah... It's all yours now.”_ _ _ _ _

_____He flinched, getting ready to push himself up. Her eyes followed his bare arm pinned against the table._ _ _ _ _

_____“And what's that crap about my place and control?”_ _ _ _ _

_____He stopped._ _ _ _ _

_____“Are you implying by any chance that I am the third wheel with you and Sasha?”_ _ _ _ _

_____“Well... I wasn't thinking that far actually, but now that you mentioned, it feels a bit like that.”_ _ _ _ _

_____“Ha, as if! You can't seriously compare your sappy ... whatever this is between you and Sasha, with what we have. It's not even remotely the same. One: she's my sister. Two: she can dump your sorry ass any time.”_ _ _ _ _

_____His eyebrows fell dangerously and his jaw clenched. She realised that even if she was angry, she shouldn’t have gone that far. People usually get scared when August gets mad. But she only felt guilty for hitting that low._ _ _ _ _

_____She looked away._ _ _ _ _

_____“That was unnecessary.” She grabbed the bottle and refilled her glass. “And she made it clear enough this evening that she isn't going to.”_ _ _ _ _

_____That's when panic hit her. What... what if she was wrong? What if Sasha was this serious about August..._ _ _ _ _

_____“You know... it feels shitty that she chose an unstable pack of brainless punching machine over me.” Her voice died. “I'm her sister.”_ _ _ _ _

_____“... She... She said that? She said that she's staying here because of me?”_ _ _ _ _

_____His voice went up and there was this dumb grin on his face; hard to believe that the same guy could blow someone's head with a baseball bat._ _ _ _ _

_____She waved a hand in front of his face in irritation._ _ _ _ _

_____“Hello, this was supposed to be about my problems? Remember? My turn to vent out?”_ _ _ _ _

_____“Ah yeah, sure...” He snorted. “But like... What did she say ex-“_ _ _ _ _

_____“August! My misery! Focus!”_ _ _ _ _

_____“U-hu. Gotcha.”_ _ _ _ _

_____He definitely didn't get her, but at this point she would take what she could._ _ _ _ _

_____“I can't understand. She always wanted out of here. I promised her... “_ _ _ _ _

_____“People change?” His question brought back memories. Fiona knew what he was talking about but preferred to pretend she didn’t. She rolled her eyes._ _ _ _ _

_____“Oh really? Did you read that in 'comforting people 101’?”_ _ _ _ _

_____“Stop being snappy! I'm just saying how things are. Hell, I changed in these past few years. Sasha changed. She's a grown-up woman, Fiona. The way I see it, you are the only one who hasn't moved on.”_ _ _ _ _

_____She frowned._ _ _ _ _

_____“We were in this together. I don't get it. I thought this was what she wanted...”_ _ _ _ _

_____“Yeah, she did. But now she found something that she's good at. Somewhere where she fits. Look, you were great back in the days at conning people, but it ain't the same.”_ _ _ _ _

_____He stopped._ _ _ _ _

_____“She's with me now.”_ _ _ _ _

_____She didn’t get the chance to protest._ _ _ _ _

_____“She runs things the way she wants to. She has a quick mind for deals. She has great instincts. She doesn’t have to play pretend with people anymore. No more battling eyelids to get things done. People actually listen to what she has to say and my men follow her orders better than mine. And, put a gun in my mouth if you want, but I am fuckin' proud of her.”_ _ _ _ _

_____He paused to finish his drink._ _ _ _ _

_____“And you should be too.”_ _ _ _ _

_____She stubbornly wanted to protest. But how could she?_ _ _ _ _

_____“You know, you need to loosen up before you become a complete control freak.”_ _ _ _ _

_____“I'm not a control freak.”_ _ _ _ _

_____“Oh really? When was the last time you stepped back and let someone else make decisions?”_ _ _ _ _

_____“Why would I do that?”_ _ _ _ _

_____“Cause you don't have to hold the wheel all the time. Sasha gets angry with me when I tell her that you need to take some chill pills but she can't say to my face that I’m wrong.”_ _ _ _ _

_____“What's that even supposed to mean?”_ _ _ _ _

_____“You're the clever face between the two of us. You tell me.”_ _ _ _ _

_____“Well aren't you full of advices tonight?”_ _ _ _ _

_____“No, really; try to follow me here: I get it! Older sibling; lot of responsibilities; you're used to think for two. But Sash ain't a kid anymore. You don't need to breathe down her neck.”_ _ _ _ _

_____“Skag crap!”_ _ _ _ _

_____“You know what I think your problem is?” But he didn’t give her the chance to answer. “You don’t fit here anymore.”_ _ _ _ _

_____“Wha-”_ _ _ _ _

_____“I’m serious. You’re good at what you do. But Hollow Point? The black-market? All the low-life places around Pandora where Sasha swims around without a problem are not for you. They are filled with violent and brainless psychos that have nothing rewarding for you to take. Here you use guns when you need something, not words. You need jerks with big attitudes and deep pockets to play your game; and you ain’t going to find any of that around these parts. Hate to break it to you but you gotta find yourself a partner that can offer you that.”_ _ _ _ _

_____The alarms in Fiona’s head started as she let her mind wander back to the past few weeks. To the jobs she had taken. And it scared her to admit, but… the joy and blood-rush they gave her… were starting to make sense in this light. Her first instinct was to feel her heart beat faster at the thrill, but then the reality of the damage she had done smashed her hopes flat on the floor. She could not forget how much of a fool she had made of herself in front of Rhys. If she ever had a chance at something good… she had surely shut that door after her._ _ _ _ _

_____“Oh-oh. What did I say? I said something stupid, right? You have that look on your face … you’re… you’re not going to start crying or anything…”_ _ _ _ _

_____Whatever look she might have had, caught in her own thoughts, she was now sending glares his way._ _ _ _ _

_____“Seriously, August? Have you ever seen me crying?”_ _ _ _ _

_____“No... but… what do I know.. suddenly you face did that thing and, with all the alcohol that you had…”_ _ _ _ _

_____He stopped when her glare intensified._ _ _ _ _

_____Their moment was interrupted when Tector approached their table._ _ _ _ _

_____“August, the guy with the eridium deal is back and wants to see you.”_ _ _ _ _

_____“Ah man, really? That ain’t good. He was supposed to be here tomorrow.”_ _ _ _ _

_____When they weren’t alone anymore he didn’t have other option than get up and greet the massive guy and his two lackeys._ _ _ _ _

_____Fiona pulled the hat over her eyes and hid her features behind the glass, not to get any attention on her._ _ _ _ _

_____“Hey August, listen – I had a thought after the talk we had earlier and the deal’s off. Boss doesn’t believe you can pull it – that much eridium – there’s no chance some second-handed weapon dealer like you can get their hands on that.”_ _ _ _ _

_____“That’s not how it works, my friend. A deal is a deal and you don’t get to have second thoughts. It’s more than my ass involved in this business.”_ _ _ _ _

_____“I can and I will. You have no proof that you have access to that amount of Eridium.”_ _ _ _ _

_____She emptied her glass and the rest of their exchange went past her. There she was, drowning her misery and truth be told… it was all self-inflicted. She was sitting on two tickets that were a way out of Pandora; She was in a weird limbo – no way of getting back what she lost to the passing of time; and with no rights to ask for something she had torn apart._ _ _ _ _

_____Her eyes narrowed. She might be short on a few answers but self-pity was not for her. She got herself up and straightened the collar of her coat._ _ _ _ _

_____August tensed even more if possible when she got near them._ _ _ _ _

______Heh…_ _ _ _ _ _

_____“Hey August, I see that you’re busy so I’ll see myself out.”_ _ _ _ _

_____He frowned._ _ _ _ _

_____“Don’t worry, no hard feelings. And as always, it was a pleasure doing business with you. If you ever need more contracts on the ex-Hyperion excavation sites in the Blight, you know where to find me, darling.”_ _ _ _ _

_____As she made her way to the exit she caught the dumb expression of the man’s face._ _ _ _ _

_____“You… you have an inside person in Eridium Blight?”_ _ _ _ _

_____Well her job was done. August better know how to handle it from there. It took a moment too long for the answer to come._ _ _ _ _

_____“My sources are none of your business.”_ _ _ _ _

_Good boy._

_____At the door, she turned and caught his eyes. He could only grin his gratitude her way and she contently tapped her hat in return._ _ _ _ _

_____Ok so she was a disaster when it came to personal matters, but there was one thing in this world she could do right even with her eyes closed._ _ _ _ _

_____Once Fiona found herself in the darkness of the safe house she felt her shoulders heavy again. Her eyes fell on the Echo device she had left on the counter. She took a seat on one of the chairs and started a glaring contest with the inanimate object, as if it was the sole reason behind her misfortune._ _ _ _ _

_____Eventually her fingers reached out for it. A split of a second stopped her from opening a line. Instead, she pushed the record button._ _ _ _ _

_____“Hey, Rhys… ”_ _ _ _ _


End file.
